SHWP-20X "Armageddon"

Finally got this to work. With Solaris 7 back online, I figured I'd poke my head in and say "Hi." And what better way to do it than by doing what brought me to S7 in the first place: posting a custom design. This was a concept I immediately thought of when I first found the Super-Heavy BattleMech rules in Jihad: Final Reckoning.

And here's the fluff, as it would have made the original post too long.

Overview:

When Devlin Stone’s Coalition invaded Terra, they encountered a number of new technologies developed by the Word of Blake. Few were more intimidating than the Super-Heavy BattleMechs, platforms of armor and firepower massing well over one hundred tons. However, while the “Omega” became the most well-known, thanks to the dozens of prototypes that were fought at Devil’s Peak, Hilton Head, and Cairo, there was a larger design that was entering the prototype phase when the invasion began. Fought against in China by one of the mercenary units that took part in the Liberation, this design earned the designation “Armageddon.”

Capabilities:

Weighing two hundred tons, the “Armageddon” is the largest ‘Mech design ever constructed. Bearing thirty seven and a half tons of standard armor plating and more mass in pod space than an entire Atlas, the “Armageddon” is better-armed and –armored than some dropships. However, it pays for this mind-boggling armor and firepower with an abysmal top speed of just under twenty two kilometers per hour.

The Word of Blake created two configurations for the “Armageddon,” and those who salvaged the prototypes crafted two more.

The first configuration, and the only one to see combat so far, was the Invictus. Its armament is centered around a staggering battery of four class-20 Thunderbolt missile launchers. Supporting these are a pair of heavy PPCs for closer-ranged, energy-based firepower. If the “Armageddon” Invictus can close to melee combat range, it is able to bring an unprecedented ten-and-a-half-ton retractable blade to bear, striking with the power of a class-20 autocannon, enough force to knock an opposing ‘Mech off its feet. Finally, a pair of extended-range medium lasers are mounted on the back to deter light ‘Mechs from attempting to stab it in the back. Two CASE units protect the Thunderbolt ammunition, and, like all Blakist OmniMechs, an improved C3 computer allows it to share targeting data with the other ‘Mechs in its Level II.

The other Blakist configuration, Dominus, was thankfully never completed. Its armament would have had a core of two massive railguns. Designed to be the last word in Gauss weapon technology, the few remaining schematics posited that the railgun design could launch a half-ton projectile at over 204.5 kilometers per second, dealing enough kinetic energy to pulverize more than three tons of standard armor plating in a single shot. Although practically unnecessary, the supporting weapons consisted of an extended-range LRM 10, a pair of extended-range PPCs, two small pulse lasers to clear away infantry, and a rear-mounted medium pulse laser to discourage back-stabbing. A laser anti-missile system would have protected the “Armageddon” from LRM counter-fire, and a C3i would have let it use targeting data from its companions to enhance the accuracy of its weapons. Fortunately, when the same mercenary unit forced their way into the production complex, all that was found was the armor and skeleton of the second prototype with no weapons installed in its hard-points. The railguns, powerful as they would be, never made it off the drawing board.

The prototype that saw combat was gifted to House Steiner by the mercenaries. The Lyrans modified the design as a hybrid of the two Blakist configurations. Four Improved Heavy Gauss Rifles allow the so-called “Eisenhammer” (Iron Hammer) configuration to obliterate any light ‘Mech that comes in range. However, because of the sheer mass of the HGRs, the secondary weapons are limited to a single LB-X autocannon and an ER PPC.

Finally, the mercenary unit claimed the unfinished prototype for themselves. Realizing that a ‘Mech with such a slow top speed would never be suitable for frontline combat, the unit’s commander ordered a unique refurbishing that took full advantage of the “Armageddon’s” roomy interior. In place of the planned railguns were installed a pair of Long Tom artillery pieces, able to rain down destruction from fifteen kilometers away. With the ‘Mech’s unique ability to displace through any terrain reasonably quickly, any counter-battery fire would merely hit empty ground. To defend it against light and medium units sent on hunter-killer missions, the jokingly, and temporarily, re-christened “Arti-geddon” mounts a pair each of large lasers and light gauss rifles and a medium laser. A Beagle probe helps it avoid ambushes while a Guardian ECM hides it from sensors.

Deployment:

Although developed by the Word of Blake, the only two “Armageddons” in existence are currently the properties of House Steiner and the mercenary unit that destroyed and salvaged the design.

Battle History:

Only a single “Armageddon” has seen battle, in China during the Battle of Terra. Its extremely heavy armor allowed it to withstand nearly an hour of sustained combat against two mercenary battalions, felling more than half a dozen mercenary ‘Mechs before it was eventually taken down. Most notably, gun-cam footage showed the “Armageddon” withstanding a direct hit to the cockpit by a standard Gauss slug and still fighting.

Points of concern.Rail guns? Custom weapon Quiaff?Can long tom's be mounted through multiple locations? (since they can't be mounted on mechs at all until the possibility of super heavy mechs showed up.)

Ammo seems a bit light.

Overall, the level of dakka is fun.Standard commentary on the need for supporting units to cover its blind spots.

1) Aff, railguns are a custom weapon that I forgot to post the stats of:
Heat: 5
Damage: 50
Range: 10/11/22/33
Ammo: 2/ton
Weight: 30 tons
Space: 22/NA/1/22/1/1/1/1/1/1
Special Rule: If the 'Mech mounting a Railgun is not in the Super-Heavy weight class, its controlling player must make an immediate Piloting skill roll to stay standing at a +1 penalty for an Assault-class 'Mech and a +2 penalty for a Heavy-class 'Mech (Medium 'Mechs automatically fail the roll.).

2) Considering that the smaller artillery pieces (i.e. Sniper) can be split, I don't see why the Long Tom couldn't on a Super-Heavy.